1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to management of removable media in a computing system. More particularly, the invention relates to the mounting and unmounting of user removable media, such as a floppy disk, in a UNIX-based computing system.
2. Description of Related Art
In conventional computing systems, there are generally two types of media which contain information accessible by a user of the computing system. User removable media is media which a user could insert or remove from the computing system. For instance, floppy discs, CD ROMS, and ZIP-drives are all examples of user removable media, as these media are easily and readily inserted or removed by a user into the computing system. In contrast, nonuser removable media consists of media which a system administrator would generally insert or remove from the computing system. For example, a system administrator would generally install or remove a high capacity disc drive from the computing system.
Within a UNIX system, a floppy disk can have either raw data or data arranged in a file system. For instance, the TAR utility, widely used within UNIX computing systems, can be used to take a group of files and place these files in a single file of raw data on a disk. In contrast, data can be arranged on a floppy disk in a file system format having a hierarchy of directories, subdirectories, and files encoded on the floppy disc.
In a UNIX-based computing system, such as Solaris, a volume management interface is conventionally provided for mounting of user removable media such as floppy discs. When a media having a file system format, such as a floppy disc, is mounted into the computing system, the conventional volume management interface does not allow the user to easily store raw, non-file system data on the media. Specifically, the conventional volume management interface makes the assumption that a media having a file system format should be interpreted only as a file system.
While this assumption made by the conventional volume management interface in a UNIX system is generally correct, there are instances where a user may desire to place raw, non-file system data on a media, such as a floppy disc, which has an existing file system format. For example, a user may want to use an existing floppy disc to store raw, non-file system data provided by the TAR utility explained above.
Furthermore, the conventional volume management interface in a UNIX system is not readily accessible or controllable by the user. A main precept of management of user removable media is that the user should not be required to obtain root or supervisor privileges in order to mount the media in the computing system. Access to the conventional volume management interface is complicated by, among other things, the privileges required to access the interface, as well as the environment and other variables the conventional interface expects.
Hence, in UNIX-based computing systems, there is presently no simple and flexible user interface for the mounting and unmounting of user removable media.